Hindenburg Memorial (Lakehurst, NJ)

Visiting my in-laws in nearby Lakewood, NJ offered the opportunity to visit the site of the Hindenburg Disaster Memorial commemorating the loss of 36 people on May 06, 1937 (35 people on board and 1 person on the ground). Situated on what is now Joint Base McGuire/Dix, the Hindenburg exploded and crashed while trying to land on the grounds of then Naval Air Station Lakehurst. Speculation on the exact cause of the explosion swirled at the time with theories involving everything from sabotage, a fuel leak, and static electricity. Whatever the cause that brought down the Hindenburg, it essentially ended the age of dirigible passenger travel.

The memorial marking the spot where the Hindenburg crashed nearly 80 years ago [Hangar 1 can be seen on the far left in the background which housed the Hindenburg].

Plaque commemorating the Hindenburg crash.

Groundhog Day 2014 - The Prediction Heard 'Round the World!

There is a small hamlet in Pennsylvania that is ground zero for weather forecasting every Groundhog Day weekend and watched by millions around the country and the world.  That town is Punxsutawney, home to Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous weather forecaster in the world [sorry Jim Cantore!].

Watching coverage of this event every year, I thought it was time to go see what this experience was all about.  The die-hards begin to descend upon Punsutawney shortly after 3AM and include all walks of life – college students fresh off a brew bus, families with kids, and the elderly. You can’t drive up to Gobbler’s Knob, where Phil makes his prediction, since it is closed off to cars so you have two options. One, you can walk up the 1.5 miles to Gobbler’s Knob or you can catch the bus up from one of three locations around town [Walmart, McDonald’s, and Punxy Plaza] which run fairly frequently. This year, over 30,000 people made the trek up to Gobbler’s Knob for the big announcement.

As a groundhog day rookie, I discovered you really don’t need to arrive by 3AM, but try to arrive by 5 or 6 am.  If you are there early you’ll get a good spot to watch the announcement and may even get to meet the President of the Groundhogs Club and even Weather Channel weather forecaster Jim Cantore who makes the pilgrimage each year [see pic below!]. Leading up to the big announcement, the main stage features dancing, singing [taking Top 40 hits and weaving in a Groundhog flair], and even a fireworks show.

Then, at 7:25, the action begins. The leadership of the Groundhog Club walks down from the top of Gobbler's Knob and then on to the stage to pull Phil out of his sleeping space on stage. Then, the 128^th prediction announcement was read:

A Super Bowl winner I will not predict

But my weather forecast you cannot contradict

Why that’s not a football but my shadow I see

Six more weeks of winter, it must be

With that, Groundhog Day activities came to a close and winter remains at least for another few weeks. Thanks to the good folks in Punxy for putting on a good show!

Must-Dos: Gobbler’s Knob to hear Phil’s prediction, of course!  Make the trek down from Gobbler’s Knob after the prediction and hit Punxy Phil’s restaurant. Waits are long, but the food is good.

Travel: About 4 hours from Leesburg, VA. Consider breaking up the trip by staying in nearby Indiana, PA [about 40 minutes south of Punxsutawney].

Logistics: Some folks spend the night before in nearby Indiana, PA as hotels are limited in Punxsutawney. Once there, park at one of the three launching points [visit groundhogstuff.com for more info on pick-up spots] and pay $5.00 to be bussed up to the Knob.